Professor David Shipworth discusses electricity grid upgrades in the UK with WIRED

27 July 2017

The article, appearing on WIRED online, discusses set upgrades for the UK electricity grid.

The plans, published on 24th July by Ofgem, looks at creating better storage of power from renewable sources whilst also shifting our power use from peak times. This can be achieved by the use of a combination of smart meters and an internet of things running when most efficient. These changes, alongside the development of home batteries to locally store power when there is excess for later use, could lead to savings for the British population of between £17 billion to £40 billion, Ofgem suggests.

In the article Professor Shipworth comments on how these systems can be of particular use when it comes to the storage of power from renewables, which already make up a quarter of British energy. He said:

“We need to make the grid work with power systems that come and go at different times of day depending on sunshine and wind"

“This is all part of making the rest of the grid work once you've got those intermittent renewables."